Man Out of Time
by Spooksdarkhero
Summary: Set after the events of Captain America but before the Avengers Steve Rogers struggles to accept and let go of his former life.


_**Man out of time**_

Nick Fury knocked for the third time and still got no answer. He knew that the man who stayed here was in after all Fury had been keeping him under surveillance. They were not about to let someone like this guy disappear and drop off the face of the planet.

Finally he had heard a muffled "come in" and Fury took that invitation and opened the door and stepped inside the apartment that Steve Rogers was now staying in. The apartment was small but cosy, plenty of light with a nice view of New York and Fury had noted that the furniture resembled the period Rogers was from. The S.H.E.I.L.D decorators had done a decent job with the place clearly not wanting to scare him by throwing in all the latest gizmos and toys one can buy for your apartment.

There were history books scattered around the room too, most were not the ones that Fury had given Rogers to 'catch up' as the ones he had given him were pretty balanced and only covered history in a vague sense. No the ones he could see went into much more graphic detail and about the world's history. Books on Vitehman, Watergate, the Cold Wars, Cuba missile crisis and so on… _Rogers would have loved them_ Fury thought shaking his head.

The man himself was on the couch just finishing another book placing it down on the table as Fury came into the living room. He looked up as Fury entered.

"Captain," Fury said

"Sir," Rogers replied back nodding his head.

"How are you holding up? No physical issues?" Fury asked him.

"No sir your doctors gave me a clean bill of health… after giving me every possible test they could think of," Rogers responded and Fury noted by his tone he was not happy.

"They are just making sure Captain not even day you find someone alive in ice especially someone who has been in ice for as long as you have been." Fury told him. Rogers snorted and said nothing picking up his glass of water. "They also tell me you have not been keeping up your therapy appointments."

"No sir that I have not," Rogers replied casually putting down his down his drink and standing to look out the window.

"After being frozen alone all these years I would have thought you would have welcomed having someone to talk to," Nick told Rogers

"That's not talking sir and you know it!" Rogers snapped spinning round to face Fury again. "You talk, he or she takes notes! Not seeing much of a conversation there."

"I guess not," Fury smiled to himself both Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton held similar views about talking to a shrink.

"Captain in your mind you where fighting in world war 2 not a week ago. There are men and women who were not on ice that still have trouble to this day because of it." Fury argued.

"So what? Your worried I am going to go out and pick a fight with the first German I meet on the street?" Rogers threw back at Nick.

"I am worried that you that's all," Fury said defensively "leaving there in the state it was in and arriving here can't be easy. The world has changed."

"Funny from the history books you gave it seems have to repeated the same mistakes over and over again." Steve responded gesturing at some of the books on the floor. "Seems there is a lot of 'love your neighbour on a Monday then kill them on a Tuesday' or let someone else kill them while you do nothing!"

"I said it had changed, I never said it was perfect" Fury said in an even tone.

Steve shrugged and said nothing.

"So have you given any thought about what you are going to do now?" Fury asked him.

"I don't know I mean I'm a soldier and there are a lot of wars out there maybe I should just pick one and jump right in!" Steve told him bitterly.

"Enough of that Captain!" Fury snapped at him, "you missed a lot of action, your friends are dead, you have woken up in a strange place I get it life is tough! But you better accept it this is your life now like or not!"

Rogers looked at Fury who returned his look with a cold hard stare.

"Sorry sir," Rogers apologised "it's just when you said we won I thought that things would be better than this."

"Well sometimes when you win a war you come home and realise you have only been fighting in a battle," Fury told him.

"Your clearly not someone who has always been behind a desk in an office running things," Steve smiled at Fury.

"I've seen my fair share of action," Fury admitted "my battle now is to make sure the politians or bruecrants in charge don't ruin things after the fighting stops. Trust me it's a lot harder!"

Steve laughed at that.

"Honestly sir I haven't given much thought about what next I mean what else is there?" Steve asked him.

"No idea captain but I might need some help," Fury told him.

"With what? Missions? Combat?" Steve asked him.

Fury just smiled at him.

"It's good to see you Captain, you were missed." Fury said leaving the apartment.

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The Captain knew he shouldn't be doing this. He stood alone opposite a house waiting and hoping to see her. He had gone past a café with computers all lined up inside it and on a whim gone inside it. There the girl had explained that he could look up the name and get an address that he wanted, all he had to do was buy some time to go on one of the computers. She had looked at him like he was an alien from out of space when he had asked her if she could do it for him admitting he did not how they worked. But he had got the address… and the girl's phone number.

He really should not be here, why torture himself? But he couldn't help himself he had to do it, he had to see her and let her know that he was alive after all these years. He looked up as the door opened and there she was coming out of the door she was old… this really was happening. Of course Rogers was not really expecting this to be a dream or a fantasy but he had in someway hoped that it was.

She still moved in a graceful manner but she was older, more frail, slower and more careful in her movements as she knew how delicate her body was. Age and the years had done that to her as they do to anyone growing and living. Not Rogers of course, he had been out of action and out of time that he had not aged a day.

She hadn't seen Rogers as he kept himself at a distance and just out of her sight behind a car. She wasn't alone he quickly realised as a little girl followed her out of the house smiling. She must have been 6 or 7, a cute kid Steve thought to himself. He watched as a woman stepped out of a car parked in front of her house and hugged the little girl before hugging her. Steve watched them smiling, laugh and talk to each other… they were a family, Peggy had had a family.

What was he expecting to see? Peggy Carter looking as young and as beautiful as she did back in the day? Those days were long gone. She had moved on with her life… and he could not be angry with her for that. He wouldn't not have wanted her to drive herself to misery and insanity looking and thinking about him for years. Still it hurt, how could it not? He truly was alone and forgotten.

Deciding to leave was best rather than go and speak to her Rogers walked quickly away. Maybe he should go find a gym or something and work out. Take out his stress and pain out on a punching bag… after all what kind of trouble could he find there?

Fin


End file.
